Monday Sept 28, 2009
Our Kiwi adventurers have already seen enough old stuff to last a lifetime. But there was no let-up today, because on offer was one of the world’s finest archaeological sites: the famous city of Ephesus!
Heading inland from Kusadasi (the attractive resort-city on the Turkish coast where our ship had moored), we drove first to a tree-covered hillside where we visited a tiny chapel built on the remains of what’s thought to be the house where Mary, mother of Jesus, spent her final years. (Ask us to tell you the fascinating story.) This lovely peaceful site, forgotten for hundreds of years, is now a place of pilgrimage for Christians from all around the world.
But Ephesus was calling, so it was back on the coach for our mad-midlifers …
During its prosperous Golden Years, before its ancient harbour finally silted up (Ephesus is now 8kms from the sea), it boasted a population of 250,000, and was a major Greek and Roman port – with noble’s houses, marble streets, shops, temples, water-on-tap, fountains, a library, a theatre and (what d’ya know?) even a brothel!
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En route to the city centre
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Restored facade of the Library of Celsus
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A Turkish lunch – Kiwis eating again!
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The 25,000-seat Theatre
Ephesus was occupied at various times by various conquerors. The superbly restored site (80% of which has yet to be dug out of the dirt) records a long, colourful and often biblical history. And (like Pompeii earlier in our tour) walking through the exposed remains was like stepping back in time.
We wandered down the Arcadian Way … checked out the public baths … sat on the public loos … viewed the stunningly reconstructed façade of the Library of Celsus … photographed the very amphitheatre where St Paul once provoked a riot … and then gathered down on the makeshift stage and sang Pokarekare Ana (to the applause of hundreds of other tourists in the theatre)!
Leaving the ruins, we drove to the nearby town of Selcuk for a Turkish lunch (in a converted train station) before heading to what’s left of the Basilica of St John (where tradition says the disciple is buried) … and a nearby archaeological museum, where we eyeballed some of the stunning ‘finds’ unearthed in Ephesus – including many many-breasted statues of the fertility mother goddess, Artemis (aka Diana).
Amazingly, the 34 tired’n’dusty Kiwis who arrived back at the ship managed to recover and scrub-up by time our Mad Midlife cocktail party kicked off in the Hideaway Bar … and lots more fun and nonsense was enjoyed by all.
PEOPLE NEWS: Two late entries were honoured last night with Mad Midlife Awards:
* The ‘Technically Challenged’ Award went to Stuart – who was caught sitting stride the motor-scooter he and Julie had rented in Mykonos, trying to start the machine with his cabin key!
* The ‘Hop-Step-&-Jump’ Award went to Allison – who managed somehow to get stuck in the entry-gate at Ephesus, and ended up straddling the rotating turnstile bar. (Ouch!)
TOMORROW: We’re invading Istanbul (Turkey), in search of soaring domes, pencil-thin minarets, opulent palaces and grand bazaars …
Yours bloggedly – JOHN
P.S. If you want to leave a message for someone in our group, just click on ‘COMMENTS’ (or ‘NO COMMENTS’) under the title for the day’s blog, and type away! Make sure you say who it’s for and who it’s from – and keep it brief. And don’t worry: we’ll make sure they get these messages. Also, if you want a better look at our route map and some of the photos here, just click on them and they’ll enlarge – magic!
